Former hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner released

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi, who gained attention for his eight-month hunger strike, was released a second time from an Israeli jail.

Issawi was released Monday after serving eight months for violating his parole. He was set to return to his home in eastern Jerusalem.

He had been one of the 1,027 prisoners released by Israel in an exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Issawi was rearrested in August 2012 for violating the terms of his release and shortly after began his hunger strike.

Issawi ended his strike in April in exchange for an early release from prison.

He had been sentenced originally in 2002 to 26 years in prison for terrorist activities. His hunger strike empowered other Palestinian prisoners in Israel to mount their own hunger strikes.